Bike TimeAnnual Coverage of the Muskegon Bike Time Motorcycle Festival.

July 26, 2007, 2:10PM

Muskegon Chronicle photographers Kendra Stanley-Mills, Ken Stevens, Anthony Souffle and Nick Tremmel roamed downtown Muskegon and Heritage Landing recording the 2007 Muskegon Bike Time. The Chronicle photographers captured the fun, music and flavor of this year's "Big Party." Follow the link to the photo gallery of the inaugural Muskegon Bike Time. There are a variety of images from the... Full story »

July 23, 2007, 7:34AM

Critics have never been kind to Poison. From the moment their debut album was released in 1986, naysayers predicted their demise. Spawned from the 1980s Sunset Strip scene that gave birth to "hair metal," it's 21 years (I'll pause to let that number sink in) later and Poison laughs last. From its inception, Poison earned a reputation as a... Full story »

July 22, 2007, 8:55PM

Home run. That's what organizers of the first-ever Muskegon Bike Time motorcycle festival feel they hit last weekend, drawing an estimated 20,000 bikes and 60,000 participants and onlookers to the three-day event in downtown Muskegon. The enthusiastic and well-behaved crowds were beyond expectations and left community and downtown business leaders and event sponsors screaming for a second event. Muskegon... Full story »

July 22, 2007, 8:50PM

It was perfect weather for leather and a leisurely ride. More than a thousand bikers wrapped up Muskegon's first Bike Time festival on Sunday by taking part in the "Mayor's Ride" to the National Pro Hill Climb in Bridgeton. They gathered behind Muskegon Mayor Steve Warmington at noon at Hot Rod Harley-Davidson, as hundreds of onlookers cheered them on,... Full story »

July 21, 2007, 10:40PM

As dusk darkened Saturday into a starry night, fans who sang along with Rare Earth sounded as if they had Van Gogh's ear for music. Fortunately for the sparse crowd at Heritage Landing, the five men who were amplified on stage could carry tunes. The current configuration of Rare Earth, the 1970s band that found its niche covering Motown... Full story »

July 21, 2007, 10:28PM

Jim Dewald of Fruitport owns a nice motorcycle, but Friday night he was sitting at home, listening to his police scanner and wondering if there would be any trouble downtown. It didn't happen. Many of those who came were total strangers -- at least at first -- to each other and to the town. Bill and Jean Richards of... Full story »

July 21, 2007, 10:20PM

Muskegon's first motorcycle festival had pretty much everything anyone could ask for -- even a real biker wedding. Thomas Lyle Melin and Kim Vandeusen were married at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the gazebo of Babbitt Memorial Garden, their vows accompanied by the steady rumble of motorcycles parading up Western Avenue, temporarily dubbed Steel Horse Alley. Melin, 38, formerly of... Full story »

July 20, 2007, 10:42PM

Daredevils. Celebrities. Weekend warriors. New bikers and old. Motorcycle gangs. Gawkers. Just about everyone showed up Friday for the first-ever Muskegon Bike Time in downtown Muskegon that continues today and Sunday with a full schedule of music, rallies, stunt shows and even a hill climb. In the celebrity corner, there's Bubba Blackwell who bills himself as "The American Daredevil,"... Full story »

July 20, 2007, 10:16PM

There must be countless musicians like Mitch Ryder in the pop music industry -- hard-rocking vocalists who scored their hits in their first several years and then went on performing, showing up for tour after tour and gig after gig, turning the years into decades. If you've followed musicians like Ryder, you've probably wondered, as I'm sure they have... Full story »

July 20, 2007, 10:45AM

Ali Willis represents the new generation of motorcycle riders. No longer content to sit on the back of a bike, the 21-year-old who is just 5-foot-4, 100 pounds, bought her own motorcycle last month. She is part of a growing movement of women who want to be in the driver's seat. And one of many women bikers who are... Full story »

July 20, 2007, 10:42AM

When you went to past Muskegon Air Fairs, you ended up at the Muskegon County Airport, while Summer Celebration took you to Heritage Landing. But attending this weekend's inaugural run of Muskegon Bike Time will have you all over the Muskegon area and much of West Michigan. And that's the point. This is not a festival focused on one... Full story »

July 20, 2007, 10:38AM

If Muskegon Bike Time isn't enough for you, Muskegon Heights is hosting its own Bike Festival to showcase motorcycle activities. The festival begins today, organizers say. The festival is separate from Muskegon Bike Time, said Dexter Brown, one of the festival organizers. But "we are not in competition with Bike Time," he said. "Next year, we want to see if... Full story »

July 19, 2007, 10:23AM

More than 35 years have passed since Tony Derezinski commuted on his first motorcycle -- a Yamaha 350 -- to and from attending graduate school classes at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., across the Charles River where he taught at Boston University. Later to be a state senator, Derezinski, new devotee of the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle... Full story »

July 19, 2007, 10:14AM

When Mayor Steve Warmington welcomes participants to the first-ever Muskegon Bike Time motorcycle run here this weekend, his enthusiasm will be genuine. This guy's a biker too. At noon on Sunday, the last day of the three-day event, Warmington will fire up his black Springer Softail Harley to lead the 30-mile "Mayor's Ride." It will be a great chance... Full story »

July 19, 2007, 10:12AM

Local authorities are expecting a crowd of bikers to roar into Muskegon for the Bike Time festival, which opens Friday and runs through Sunday, but they have no idea how many to expect. In fact, police officials aren't sure what challenges the first-year festival might present, but say they'll be prepared with extra staffing just in case. Muskegon Police... Full story »